Building strip and construction



July 6, 1937. E. L. CHAMBERLAIN 2,085,399

BUILDING STRIP AND CQNSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 15, 1931 Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES BUILDING STRIP AND CONSTRUCTION Eli Leslie Chamberlain, Norwood, Mass, assignor,

by mesne assignments, to The Patent and Licensing Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 13, 1931, Serial No. 556,804

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved and attractive building strip and construction so as to secure a durable, efficient and sightly imitation brick wall construction and with a minimum 5 expenditure of time, labor and material. It has particularly to do with an imitation brick wall construction of the general type set forth in the application of B. H. Roberts, et al., .Serial No. 452,608, filed May 15, 1930, so as to give the attractive contrasting color effect .of brick laid in mortar of contrasting shade or color, but embodies an improvement on the construction of said application in that in the present construction a single course of building elements gives the appearance of two or more (preferably three) courses of brick, with even and parallel mortar-lines, so as to give a uniform and even appearance.

The invention is best explained in connection which like numerals represent like parts.

In the drawing, which shows the preferred form of building strip and construction:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a building element made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of a wall constructed in accordance with this invention, including elements as shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 2.'

Referring to the drawing showing the pre-' ferred type of building strip and construction, the elements are made of an asphalt-saturated felt base or backing 2 having upon one surface a layer of crushed slate 4 adhering thereto throughout the extent of such surface of the felt base 2, due to an application of asphalt which causes the adherence of the slate 4 to the felt base or backing 2. Upon the lower portion of the slate surface 4 are laid additional stripes of slate 6 of a contrasting shade or color, the contrasting shades or colors, for convenience, being indicated in the drawing without reference to the actual shades or colors employed in practice.

In the manufacture of building strips in accordance with this invention, the stripes 6 are applied after flrst depositing upon theslate surfacing 4 additional asphalt, and then depositing thereon, by suitable apparatus, the stripes of slate 6 of contrasting shade or color. However, a similar effect may be obtained by applying the slate surface 4 in spaced lateral stripes to the asphalt-saturated base 2 and then depositing the lateral stripes 6 of contrasting shade or with the accompanying illustrative drawing, in

color directly to the unsurfaced balance of the asphalt-saturated base so that only the respective adjacent marginal edges of the stripes 4 and 6 meet or contact.- ,Another alternative, though at the expense of life or durability, is to simply apply the colored stripes 6 leaving thespaces or horizontal mortar .lines therebetween unsurfaced. The stripes 6 are rendered discontinuous so as to give the visual appearance of brick, by means of the notches 8 in the lower of said stripesi and the holes I!) in the remaining and upper stripes. In actual manufacturing practice, the stripes 6 are laid on continuously and the stripes rendered discontinuous by means of the notches and holes as shown. Between the discontinuous stripes 6 are exposed narrow stripes 'l2 of the base surface 4, so as to expose between the stripesi the stripes l2 of cont asting shade or color, thus providing the horizontal mortar lines between the plurality of courses of brick in each individualelement. If desired the stripes 6 may be laid on discontinuously and the notches and holes punched out therebetween.

In the preferred form of construction, as shown, the strips are provided with diagonally opposed notches or offsets I4, so as to break joints when assembled; on the wall and also for another purpose, as willhereinafter' appear. I

Fig. 2 shows the elements assembled upon a supporting wall surface It, being attached thereto by suitable fastenings I8, such as nails or the like and with diagonally opposite notched corners l4 mating with those of .other elements.

It will be seen from Fig'. 2 that the notched or offset ends of each strip provide a means for offsetting the joint of adjacent elements in the same course from the holes III in an overlying course, thus giving a better weather protective eifect than if the ends of the elements were not offset. It will also be seen from Fig. 2 that there is exposed through both notches 8 and holes III, the contrasting color of the upper portion 4 of an underlying course, so that both the vertical and horizontal exposed mortar lines are of the same color and contrast with the bricks in each discontinuous stripe 6.

It will be seen from the foregoing that this invention provides important savings in time and labor and provides an improved appearance,

in that each course of 'elementsprovides several accurately aligned courses of brick, which may be secured on the building at a labor saving of at least half.. Moreover, it provides a construction which is more readily adapted to be fitted at the corners, without the flaring or winging out of each course, as with constructions heretofore in use.

Having described my invention, what I wishv to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. -As a new article of manufacture, a building strip having an asphalt saturated felt base, a slate surface of given color covering said base, additional and discontinuous spaced parallel stripes of crushed slate of contrasting shade or color applied to said first mentioned slate surface and exposing horizontal lines of said surface between said stripes, the lower of said stripes being divided into a horizontal series of brick-appearing elements by vertical notches therein, and the remainder of said stripes being divided into horizontal series of brick-appearing elements by verticaleholes.

2. In a building construction, a supporting surface and building strips as claimed in claim 1 attached thereto in overlapping horizontal coursm, so as to expose betweenthe upper of the discon tinuous overlaying stripes of each of said courses and the adjacent edge of its overlying course, a new exposure of the said slate surface covering said base of eachstrip of said surface, respectively, and so as to expose between each of the bricklike elements, the contrasting color of the upper portion oh an underlying course whereby there is simulated the appearance of bricks laid in mortar of contrasting color or shade.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a building strip having an asphalt saturated felt base, a slate surface of given color covering said base, additional and discontinuous spaced parallel stripes of crushed slate of contrasting color applied to said first mentioned slate surface and exposing horizontal lines of said surface between said stripes, a row of spaced vertical slots in each of said stripes, the slots of adjacent rows being staggered in relation to each other.

v 4. A building strip in accordance with claim 3 in which the slots are all of substantially the same size.

5. A covering sheet for laying upon the surface of a wall in overlapping arrangement with similar covering sheets which comprises a base of impervious material having a plurality of stripes extending across the sheet and having a plurality of cuts in the material of the base to represent respectively the longitudinal and transverse joints of masonry, the cuts being made in the sheet in staggered arrangement, the end of the overlapped portion of said sheet being on a line which if extended would pass intermediate the staggered simulated transverse joints of the masonry.

6. A covering sheet for laying upon a surface in complementary arrangement with similar covering sheets which comprises a base having upon at least a portion of the surface thereof a simulation of masonry units laid in a plurality of courses with mortar joints therebetween, the longitudinal boundaries of said portion of the surface extending along lines coincident with the simulated limgitudinal joints of the masonry, the transverse boundaries of said area being at the ends of the sheet and completing an outline of saidend having a stepped form, the stepped form at one end being complementary to the stepped form at the other end while providing for the simulation of the vertical joints of the masonry at said ends of the sheet.

7. A covering sheet for laying upon a surface in complementary arrangement with similar covering sheets which comprises a base having upon at least a portion of the surface thereof a simulation of masonry units laid in a plurality oi courses with mortar joints therebetween, the longitudinal boundaries of said portion of the surface extending along lines coincident with the simulated longitudinal joints of the masonry, the transverse boundaries of said area being at the ends of the sheet and completing an outline of said end having a stepped form, the stepped form at one end being complementary to the stepped form at the other end while providing for the simulation of the vertical joints .of the masonry at said ends of the sheet, the complementary edges of the sheet being parallel and equal except as modified by removal of a portion of the base to simulate the vertical joints at the ends of the masonry units simulated upon the sheet.

' ELI LESLIE CHAMIQERLAIN. 

